Abstract

This study provides an in-depth ethnographic and theoretical analysis of the fire-jumping ritual of the Tu Dí people in northern Vietnam—a complex cultural practice where spiritual beliefs, social relationships, and ecological interactions converge. Based on field observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, the research explores how this ritual embodies symbolic meanings of purification, sacred space, and community resilience. The study employs an integrated theoretical framework drawing on cultural ecology, syncretism, liminality, sacred space, and social cohesion to interpret the ritual’s functions and transformations. Findings reveal that the ritual not only purifies the souls of the deceased but also reinforces communal identity and transmits ecological ethics through symbolic elements such as thorny bamboo, Tù Và, Shu Tao, and fire. A comparative analysis situates the Tu Dí ritual within both national and global contexts of fire-related ceremonies, highlighting its unique features and adaptive capacities amid modernization and tourism influences. The study contributes new insights to international ritual studies and cultural ecology, demonstrating how minority rituals serve as dynamic sites of cultural resilience and negotiation in rapidly changing socio-environmental landscapes.